2009 OutlookBlake Lawrence has been a contributor at linebacker in each of his first two seasons at Nebraska and is poised for a more prominent role in 2009. The 6-3, 225-pound junior moved into the top Will linebacker spot late in the 2008 season, and performed well, highlighted by a strong outing in the Gator Bowl. Lawrence continued to show excellent ability early in spring practice before being sidelined with a concussion for the second half of the drills. Lawrence will enter fall camp as a strong contender in a wide open race for the starting Will linebacker job.

Lawrence is a standout in the classroom, carrying a 3.894 grade-point average in marketing. Despite not having redshirted, Lawrence is on track to complete his undergraduate work in December of 2009 in just 2 ½ years.

2008 (Sophomore)Lawrence played in 10 games, and saw his most extensive action in the season’s final three games, including starts against Kansas State and Clemson. His play down the stretch helped the Huskers rank second in the Big 12 in total defense and limited the Tigers to just 210 yards in the Gator Bowl.

Lawrence finished the year with 21 total tackles, including 12 in the final three games. He had five tackles at Kansas State, and added three against Colorado in the regular-season finale. In the Gator Bowl, Lawrence had four tackles and intercepted a third-quarter pass that set up a field goal to aid Nebraska’s comeback.

2007 (Freshman)Lawrence played in eight games during his first season, serving as a backup behind senior Bo Ruud at SAM linebacker. Lawrence also saw regular action on the kickoff coverage unit. He saw his most extensive action of the season against Texas A&M when Ruud went out with a knee injury. Lawrence made his first career tackle against the Aggies and had his second tackle of the year against Kansas State.

Before Nebraska (Shawnee Mission West HS)Lawrence came to Nebraska after an award-winning prep career at Shawnee Mission West High School. Lawrence was named the Gatorade Kansas High School Player of the Year after an impressive senior season for Coach Tim Callaghan. Lawrence was a dominant two-way player at Shawnee Mission West, starting at quarterback as a senior, while continuing as a defensive stalwart.

On defense, Lawrence played both safety and linebacker and had 60 tackles, a pair of sacks and three interceptions. On offense, Lawrence completed 68-of-131 passes for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns, while throwing just three interceptions. Lawrence was also a running threat, picking up 483 yards on 71 carries, while reaching the end zone 15 times on the ground. His performance led Shawnee Mission West to the state Class 6A title game. Lawrence earned all-state and all-metro honors from the Kansas City Star, and was regarded as the top overall recruit in Kansas by Rivals.com.

As a junior, Lawrence served as the backup quarterback for his older brother, Tyler, and starred on defense. Blake tallied 90 tackles, including 13 tackles for loss, while recording four sacks and forcing four fumbles. For his efforts, Lawrence received all-conference, all-county, all-metro and all-state honors.

Lawrence was also one of the top scholars at his school, maintaining better than a 4.0 cumulative grade-point average. Lawrence received numerous scholarship offers and chose the Huskers after also visiting Kansas.

PersonalBlake is the son of Lisa Heath and Michael Lawrence and was born on March 21, 1989. Lawrence was a first-team academic All-Big 12 pick in 2008 and is a four-time Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll selection. In December of 2007, Lawrence was one of five 2007 high school scholar-athletes invited to attend the National Football Foundation/College Hall of Fame dinner in New York City.

Lawrence has also been named to the 2008 and 2009 Brook Berringer Citizenship Teams for his extensive community outreach work. Lawrence has assisted with School is Cool Week, and volunteered for local hospital visits and at the Ridgewood Retirement Center.